“The Bloody Marriage of Françoise de Maridor during the Wars of Religion in France”

November 25, 1573, north of the city of Le Mans, near the parish of Stressed, the wedding of Françoise de Maridor.

During this period, the Kingdom of France was going through its worst turmoil: the wars of religion.

This marriage is in the image of its time: the family of the future bride is Protestant, and Françoise marries a Catholic owner, Jean de Coesmes, Baron de Lucé. In the nobility, a union between people of different beliefs is common. The Maridors have wealth and a status that sets them apart. His parents, Anne and Olivier, were attached to the court of Joan of Albretmother of the future Henri IV. The father represents the very type of 16th century lord: half gentleman, half soldier. This period of conflict has stripped such people of all scruples. Men of this rank kill anyone who appears to disagree with them, often with impunity. Under the pretext of defending their religion, they suppress those who embarrass them.

Françoise de Maridor is therefore already marked with the seal of her era where internal struggles reign. She will even sign a bloody pact with her lovers. Baron de Lucé is killed by the Huguenots during the siege of Lusignan. Françoise will not remain alone for long: other nobles are vying for her hand. Of the next five suitors, three will be killed by their rivals… and for one, she will be at the heart of a resounding assassination.

It will definitely go down in history in the 19th century thanks to Alexandre Dumaswho devotes one of his most famous novels to him: La Dame de Monsoreau. In H-Hourlisten to his true story.